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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506324">ColderTimes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BicthLasagna/pseuds/BicthLasagna'>BicthLasagna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dead by Daylight (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Best Friends, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Developing Friendships, F/F, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Human Sacrifice, Murderers, Partnership, Survival, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:55:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,726</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BicthLasagna/pseuds/BicthLasagna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When one of your bestest best friends in the whole wide world becomes increasingly sick, you'll do anything to help them, right? What happens when the crippling voice in your head calls for blood at the same time?</p>
<p>Julie, of the Legion burdens herself with the task of gathering sacrifices with hope that the Entity will help save their youngest companion in a time of need, but little to her knowledge, the Entity has other plans for their game...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anna | The Huntress &amp; F.J.S.J. | The Legion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>ColderTimes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've had this work laying around for some time, it will be a multi chapter run, between some other works I'm trying on for size.</p>
<p>Various POVs so it should keep the punches rolling and be easily destinguishable. I just really love this little family of murder-happy teenagers. None of them are okay in here just yet though, we shall see.</p>
<p>Probably gonna be pretty gay, watch out.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tuesday.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's always so fuckin cold here. Granted, we're Canadian. This is Alberta Canada. We're used to it, but nobody is used to the freezing rain that comes with it. Snow sure, but hail the size of golf balls and freezing rain are the worst. Out here it's near desolate from the freezing temperatures, we must move south or we will perish out here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank, our wise high school dropout generally points us in a reasonable direction. Outlining our four person team with minor guidelines that we can collectively agree on, most of the time… but his stubbornness is vigilant. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Susie and Joe ended up stranded in the rain on a supply run, their old Sudan completely coated in a thick sheath of ice. The battery had died mid trip. They ended up snuggled together in the back seat for warmth, their coats being used to shield them from the chill as it slowly encapsulated them, determined to freeze them in time. They were stranded for two days before I found them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It took me an hour in the hazardous weather to chip away at the door handle with my knife, and another hour to figure out it wasn't going to open either way because the whole damn door was stuck solid. My sweat was freezing on the back of my neck, my fingers and hands turning white and purple. My mask kept the wind off my face, but it did very little to fend off the cold…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I turned my knife around and jumped on the hood of the vehicle, the widest surface had to be the weakest point. I bashed at the wide window with the butt of the handle until I got a good sized hole coming in. I was able to stand and kick it open after that, forcing myself into the space.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Susie was sobbing, her mask removed and exposed her very red features, she hugged me weakly and I could feel how warm she was. She was feverish, maybe having gotten a bug out here with the lowered immunity the cold brings.. Joe had snot all over his hoodie, where Susie had been laying on his chest. His mask was also removed, dark eyes complimented by deep bags, black pools so tired and cold as they looked at me, he barely had the energy to smile.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fuck you, Frank.” A door slammed somewhere, the hallways echoing with the furious noise, breaths leaving trails in wake of the fleeting person.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The fuck do you even know, Julie? Who do you think you are?” A gruff voice with its own cloud filtered in, itself low and grumbly. Frank doesn't like to fight, not his friends at least. He hufs and sits down in his chair heavily, kicking a plastic garbage can and sending it skidding into an adjacent wall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Running his hand through his short blonde hair, he breathes deep and mulls over the situation. Julie and him go way back, back to school even. Secondary school, where they pranked and skipped and vandalised to their heart's content. She was like a sister to him. Soon they picked up Joe, an edgy goth hardass who always spent too much time shoplifting from convenience stores and lighting nightclub bathrooms on fire to bother with school much. And little Susie, a social outcast, the bullied kid, an oddball with a knack for making weapons out of anything. She's just as much a delinquent freak as they all were and they love her for it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were all good kids and make an even better family of closely knit friends. But they needed to go. This place here wouldn't hold them much longer, Julie had every right to be angry with him; Susie was terribly ill, even with stolen medications and supplements she wasn't getting better.. Joe hasn't spoken to anyone much except Susie, as he refuses to leave her side. Julie was losing her patients.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He tried to talk to her, he had this feeling, he knew for sure. The voices in his head were back and they were hungry. They knew there was something great coming. Frank knew Julie could hear them too, but she was more worried for the family rather than this one big score. If only there were more time..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Julie wait..” he stands and comes to the door at the other side of the room, pushing it open only to be greeted with the sound of the wind whipping through the broken windows of the rundown wearhouse hall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's quiet, like disturbingly quiet. Frank held his breath and walked down the hall to push open the other door. His flat shoes padded the dusty floors as he went. Julie was standing a few paces from him now, he could hear her holding her breath too. Both of them peaking in instinctual sensitivity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The hunt was upon them already, it was calling to them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You hear that too?” She whispers.. her voice near silent, only a whisper, even then her words sounded almost too loud.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah..” his fingers twitched, feeling his palms beginning to sweat in his fingerless gloves. He itched to grab for his knife, remembering he had left it with his mask in his room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Though, Julie always had both of hers on hand, she quietly unhooks her mask from her belt and slides it over her face, bringing her hood up to further conceal her features.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Julie.. do you think..” he began, watching as she cracks her neck and knuckles, stretching out her legs, “do you think, the Entity could help make Susie better?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Perhaps..” she draws her tactical knife and turns it over in her dirty bandaged hands, “she needs you, for now. You should take her to help, and take Joe with you too.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you sure you can handle this.. alone?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She only nods in reply, turning to face him. The white mask dusty, but it's wide drawn smile still gleams in the low moonlight. She extends her arm to him, to that he takes it, wrapping his fingers around her forearm with her she doing the same as a form of a handshake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I'll please the Entity. You can count on me.” They let go as she heaves herself out through another broken window, he watches her go. This is what he had been buying time for, this was the reason he had them stuck here and suffering. If anyone was going to go and get the job done is was squad-mom Julie.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank looked down at his hands, witnessing the red dangle of a few string strands. His friendship bracelet. The one of very few possessions they had, much less share. His reads F.J.S.J, Frank, Joe, Susie, Julie.. in red and white. His previous school colours. He noticed it wasn't hanging on by much anymore..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Maybe it was time to replace them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>God fuck it's still so fuckin cold. I'm honestly so damn sick of this weather, why the hell do we live where our environment wants to kill us? Fuck me, that's why. I'll wander around this blistering cold scrap heap of a property if it means getting in a few cheap kills. The Entity was back, and usually with it comes the demand of sacrifices.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why though? What the hell forces people out here like this? Who the hell strolls in this weather at this time of night for fun?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I heard a scream a few paces out, some crows flew up in response to the noise. It sounded like a female, and it triggered something in my head. I felt my thoughts clear as my vision began to tunnel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I approach, I kept my stride lite. Trying not to alert whoever was there more so. Peeking up over the dented hood of a useless car, I notice immediately that the area smells heavily of blood. My senses are flooded with the rich iron smell as it slowly rests into the dirt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's smells warm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My breathing comes quicker, and with it a gentle tingle of bloodlust. I come around the car to examine the area. Looks like a struggle, one set of footprints coming, the squabble, and the same set walking away in the direction of the stone wall. Shrubbery doing very little to hide the amounts of blood leading out and around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“She's near..” I affirm to myself, though the voice in my head quotes back with acknowledgment only to make me jump slightly in surprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A yearning hiss was so loud, almost sounded like it was roaring over a room full of other voices all trying to have the same conversation. They all were talking about how hungry they were.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shaking my head, I stand again, following the tracks. The blood clinging to the tall grasses and shrubs rubbing off onto my leather coat and into my khaki jeans. I further pretend I didn't find a child-like amusement in the delicate foliage painting my clothes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a bloody handprint, two, and soon I found her. A small thing in a red jersey number t-shirt and jeans. Her overcoat was pulled tight around her as she pressed her back against a turned over dumpster. She was facing me at this time but hadn't taken notice of me, her eyes were wide with fear as she kept glancing around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She gasped and groaned in pain as she gathered herself back to her feet, as she turned, I caught sight of a wide gash parting her clothes cleanly from the bottom of her ribs out, and it was deep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A pity..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The voices in my head were very loud now, humming in sequence like an old coven chant for blood. I lick my lips and ready myself, every muscle in my body ready to spring like a tightly wound coil.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A noise somewhere over the dumpster gathered her attention, she stood on her toes to look, and I pounced. Rushing out from my hiding spot and throwing my weight into the girl. She didn't have time to react before I slammed into her back, mashing her into the rusty metal surface and grabbing a fist full of her hair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She tries to yell, but the only sound that comes out is the rush of air leaving her chest before I throw her down into the dirt. My grin is so wide as I look down on her, I can feel my chapped lips splitting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I bring my knife down onto her neck, the blade sharp and well maintained it cuts her skin with very little effort, but a voice in my head yells.. causing me to flinch away immediately before I could end the gasping life before me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“DO. NOT.” I was beside myself now, finally so close to feeling hot fresh blood between my fingers again after the thrill of the hunt and now, “THAT IS NOT YOUR SACRIFICE.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look, I know, alright? Just let me have this, it's been months! I'll give you the next-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“NO.” the roar almost sent me down on top of the girl, holding my hands over my ears, I whimper and try to shake out the deafening growling.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fine.. but only for Susie, you hear me?” as soon as I mutter that out, the whispers fade and the loud pressure in my skull quiets. I stand with a sigh, heaving the girl up over my thin shoulder, she seemed compliant after getting assaulted and watching her attacker fight with the voices in her head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After a moment of standing and turning in a circle to reorient myself with the landscape, I remember we had built a few structures around. Dotting the area, most of them concealed with tarps or old sheets. Finding one should be easy, just follow the sound of fabric in the wind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I meandered around for a moment, managing upon one. The person I was carrying seemed too tired to fight me, I knew she was still alive though, I could hear her breathing. Bringing my hand up, still holding my knife, I grab the sheet with a few fingers and give a good pull.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sun bleached material falls free in the wind, revealing a hangman's structure, though instead of a rope to hang, we outfitted it with a large metal meat hook. Much more durable. It were a few feet up there, Frank and Joe could use them with ease, unfortunately I have to jump.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Slinging the limp person forward, I bounce up onto my toes. The girl slips onto the sharp hook like a glove, sticking her firmly through the back shoulder. The barb penetrating through her shirt in the front as she lets out a blood curdling scream.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ground around the hook began to glow slightly. A violent red light seeping into the soil, as the summoning began with the first bleeding hook.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Alright. Game on!” As soon as I'd hooked the girl, various other sounds stirred with her scream, there were at least three more kids around here that needed murdered. I left this one to bleed out, even if one of her friends managed to get her off it, she wouldn't be much of a problem with her wounds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The voices guided me to the next set of footprints, they were ducking around a corner and going into an abandoned broken down shack not far from our warehouse. I looked into a foggy cracked window, the mask negating the fog that would be adhering to the chilled surface, leaving no evidence of my peeping.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There were two. They were crouched around an old rusty generator, probably attempting to fix it, power the facility once more. But how could I resist, two fresh targets, with their backs to me. Unaware. A young man with dark hair and glasses, and a smaller lady with olive skin. How cute.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I kept my stride casual, half crouched, strolling up through the door and up to the free side of the generator, keeping my face from them. They didn't even notice me, or if they did they ignored me. But I did manage to hear them talking to each other, they seemed to speak a little louder now with what they expect to be one more party member helping.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look I know, but we're in deep now. Leave her on that hook, I'm sure the killer is keeping an eye on her..”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can't know that, do you know where we are? The Legion are so unpredictable and blood thirsty! They wouldn't use the first catch as bate, I know that for a fact!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, and I know you're a little bitch, did you know that-” I stuck my knife in an important looking spot in the generator and twisted, it popped and sparked, a bright light and a loud bang sound erupting from the thing. The two occupants shield their eyes and mutter distasteful curses under their breath. The guy gets cold feet suddenly and stands up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Screw this. I know for fuckin sure they heard that, I'm out of here before they come and stab me in the ass.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fine, me and the other guy can hold our own, it's two against one!” She half yells after his retreating figure before she allows for pause, turning to look around the large generator at me, “right dude?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I turn to greet her and she catches sight of my mask, throwing herself backwards and tripping up with a yelp. Her olive skin goes white for a flash moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Awh fuckin hell?! You've gotta be shitting me!” She scrambles to get up, and I let her for a second. Licking my lips again and watching her carefully.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She stumbles out the door, and I give chase. Dashing, bringing my knife up, blade down, so I can jump on her with a quick pulled down stabbing motion. She's quick on her feet, weaving between piles of junk and crumbling structures. I get right up on her and she flips around, flinging a car door open right in my face. I crash into it hard and stagger back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looks astonished that that actually worked, almost laughed a little before I gathered myself and heaved a kick at the door. It's rusty hinges give way, probably having taken the brunt of the damage from my face, it falls off with only a slight crunch sound, uselessly flopping onto the dirt. The woman deadpans before turning to run again, forcing a bark of a chuckle from beneath my mask.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I didn't mess around this time, extending my arm to my full wingspan, I bring the knife forward in a wide swipe, though she was almost out of reach I did manage to slash her upper arm. With a seething breath of pain she rounds another corner in an attempt to shake me. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I plan ahead and try to cut her off by going around the other way, it works well enough, I slash out again with the knife and connect with flesh, but it wasn't the same olive skinned girl I was trying for. Jersey kid from before had wound up in front of my knife instead. She took a full swipe from shoulder all down her arm and I managed to knock her down as I also collided with her. Not the target I attended, but it'll do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her eyes fearful as she holds onto her arm and looks up at me, I clean my knife off on my pants before picking her up again fireman style. She struggled a bit before I started talking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Wow, they really left you to get pulled off by that one other guy, eh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“H- How did you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well they told me, of course. They didn't have any intention of coming for you...” I almost laugh as I could feel her confusion and dread setting in, walking her back to the hook with little fight from her, but just as I were about to stick her again, the glasses guy from before comes barreling up and slams into my shoulder in something like a football tackle.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I drop the girl, us falling on top of her as the guy moves to strangle me, a big mistake as it left his legs wide open. I sunk my blade into his thigh, making him scream in pain. With this opening I was able to push him off, he tumbles back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rolling over, he makes to crawl away, holding onto the gash in his leg. He's interrupted me once, I wasn't about to let him get away with it. I stabbed him in the back of his ankle, pulling him closer by it and turning him over, crawling up over him to straddle his legs, keeping him there. I was going to end him, and I wanted to watch the life leave his eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Now you listen here..” I stab him in the ribs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We all have sacrifices to make.” I stab him in the shoulder, he's sobbing and begging.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You've just made yours..” I stab him in the center of his chest. Leaning down to his face, putting my weight on the knife as he flails his arms uselessly, a hand coming up to slap at my face but it's nothing more than a fruitless caressing against the mask surface.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Now.. let me make mine.” I pull down, dragging the blade through his chest and belly, splitting the skin before steel and spilling his guts. He dies choking on his own blood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Standing, I clean the blood off my knife on my jacket before turning to the girl who is sobbing in a heap. I roll my shoulders, bones popping and rolling fluidly before picking her back up again, tossing her back onto the hook. As she wails in pain and hangs limply, I lean up to her ear and I whisper that this was our, shared, curse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her desperate panicked hollering ws almost drown out with a crack of thunder. The air around the hanger structure became thick and clammy, manifestations of long black spider-like fingers began to materialize around her. They twitch and grow by the second. Pleased with the offering.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One particularly sharp decrepit spider finger sprouts and swings down, impaling the girl in the center of her chest, following suit with all the other fingers curingl around her to lift her off the hook and into the air, up into the sky where the clouds darken, red lightning flickering menacingly between cloud breaks. Long pointed black vines are visible up there, swirling as the body is consumed by the darkness, never to see the break of daylight again..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Beautiful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After a glorified moment of watching the Entity feast, I decided it was time to return to the hunt, there were still two others to play with after all. It would be a shame to waste a fresh hunt.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the actual hell, Julie?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look, I don't have any damned idea, Frank. Fuck off.” Frank turns the bag of frozen peas over, pressing it against the bare back of his long time friend whom hisses at the sting it delivered. She takes her mask off and throws it onto a table in her aggression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can you at least explain what happened?” He leans around the woman, trying to look at her face. Her expression is screwed up in pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There was something else there..” she started, bringing up a bandaged hand to brush the sweat off her brow, “I heard it but didn't think much of it before I got hit in the back with something hard and heavy..”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank nods, taking the bag off to examine the large mark left on her skin. Square between her shoulder blades was a dark sharp rectangular shaped indentation where something hit her. His guess was one of the survivors had thrown a brick at her.. but none of those kids could possibly throw as hard as this looks like it were.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It threw me to the ground, Frank. I was mid chase when I rounded that corner and boom, miniature freight train.” She tries to roll her shoulders and whimpers when the skin of her back stretches.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can imagine, your whole upper back is black and blue!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It hummed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Eh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever chucked the thing, it was humming this weird lullaby. I thought it was just the voices, but it was there, I'm sure.” She looked to him with confusion in her eyes, brows knit in thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That's… odd.” He clearly didn't have any idea what she was going on about, but it sounded absurd. It's not impossible for survivors to fight back, but this is a bit much.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With an exasperated sigh, Julie shrugs and grits her teeth, pushing herself off the table and retrieving her shirt from the floor to pull over her head, Frank shakes his head and helps her get dressed again. He gives her a look and frowns.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You're going back out there again.. aren't you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is Susie feeling any better yet?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“She opened her eyes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That's a start, the Entity heard me at least..” Julie slips on her leather coat with help from Frank, the pain in her upper back starting to bleed into her shoulders and neck, up into her skull and delivering an awful headache, “do we have any more pain killers?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nope, Joe traded the last for a few cartons of orange juice.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks Joe..”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, his heart was in the right place.” She slips her mask back into place once more and sighs before turning to face her friend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah.. it always is.” Joe is a sweetheart, even if his demeanor is less than kind. Joe himself was a brutal killer like the remainder of them, though he's particularly soft for little Susie and Julie on occasion, the quiet man won't pick fights or stir up conflict among the group, but he does vocalise his opinion and will stand beside it with reason until proven otherwise. That's why Frank had to befriend him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Joe had a special way of seeing situations and strategies, he was tall, but could manage to be quite sneaky and brutal, choosing to instead incapacitate individuals over going for the throat or sport chasing. He doesn't get that rush out of killing like Julie or Frank. But the act of strategy itself keeps his blood pumping.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You be safe out there. I'm coming as soon as I can to help.” Frank nods to his counterpart and she nods in return, opting to go out the door rather than use her upper body strength to heave herself through the window again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The survivors are at advantage again it seemed..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is going to be a wild ride.. the voices in my head were slightly nulled by this crazy wild high pitch screeching in my ears. It was difficult to listen to them at this point and trying only made my vision foggy and white with pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It didn't take rocket science to track these kids though, they tried another generator a few meters away. I could tell because it sparked and flashed in aggression, a loud bang sounding from just inside a crumbling two story building. Must have crossed a wire in repair or whatnot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I held my position, looking in the direction of the sound. Maybe one of the kids would flee the generator, thinking I was near. And as I watch I was greeted by a head poking out of a window frame, it looked around sheepishly. It's the illusive olive skinned woman from before. I squinted at her as she ducked back inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hadn't noticed me, I can't imagine how she couldn't, as I stood out in the middle of a clearing looking right at her with a bright white mask on, but maybe her eyes just weren't as adjusted to the dark as mine were.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I moved in, coming around to the side she had looked out from. There they were, two of them, working on that damned hunk of junk as if it meant something to them. I took my knife by the blade, raising it up over my head, throwing it through the open window frame with very little wind resistance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It stuck her, right in the nape of her neck. She cries out, reaching around and yanking the intruding weapon from her neck, shock taking over her as she laid her eyes on the blade. Her whole body became overtaken with a racking yelp of a breathy sob, dropping the knife as if it burned her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The lady spun around as soon as the overall shock subsided and she realized it was thrown at her, her eyes widened and mouth agape as she looked out the familiar window. I wave at her innocently before vaulting the frame into the room with her. The guy that had been in there, a fella with a nice leather coat and meaty looking arms, sprang up and fled as soon as he heard the woman shout.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look, I've been chasing you for some time.. why don't we make this easier on both of us, eh?” I keep my voice level, my stance easy, almost lazy. I took a quick second to swoop and pick my knife up off the floor before meeting her gaze again, smiling my own smile behind my mask. She still trembles in fear, still unable to get her footing beneath her as she looks up in my direction, pinned between the generator and me. Man I felt big, and big felt good.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wh- What?” I leaned down, crouching in front of her so I was her level. Hoping I was appearing slightly more intimidating now that I was close enough she could see the blood on my clothes and mask. It seemed to work, as she swallowed hard, trying every trick in the book to keep from making eye contact with me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I'll give you… oh.. ten more seconds of run time, before I kill you..” the woman made to spring up before I spoke again, my tone as sharp as my knife this time, freezing her in her tracks, “OR, we could go quietly, I'll hang you on hook, and the Entity will leave me and my friends alone for a few more heartfelt days.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looked at me for a few seconds, an expression of 'are you fucking crazy’ slowly twisted onto her face before she popped up, throwing herself over the the generator and out the same way the guy from before left through. I shook my head and stood up, stretching my legs a bit before I dashed out after her again. It's always the hard way with these people.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I could smell her blood, her footprints were closer together too. Wait, was she limping? I didn't hit her leg at any moment, maybe she had tripped somewhere and hurt herself, that's entirely possible. Her back came into view and my vision began to tunnel, she were clutching her neck, I could see the blood pressing thickly between her fingers..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As she evaded me, my blood lust only grew. Though the pain in my neck and head forced me to stop on occasion.. the red that outlined my vision faded to black for seconds at a time and my heart pounded in my ears.. I wasn't doing so hot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I managed to chase the woman into some dense bushes, the grass was overgrown here and it was hard to see, as it grew way over my head and hers, but her blood still remained heavy in the air.. and soon I caught a flash of her shirt colour, she stood a few paces away, listening.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I paused. She looked around in a slight fear fuled daze, like a deer surveying the area for predators.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I heard it again.. it's distant.. the humming. That same weird lullaby from earlier. I know she hears it too, she clamps a hand over her mouth, trying not to openly whimper as she crouches further into the shrubbery.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Moving closer.. I lick my lips and prepare to ambush her, my knife poised and ready for a ripping stab. Little did I know, that humming had been drawing closer as well.. but she was so close, I could almost feel her body heat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then she breaks into a sprint. Without warning. I'm forced to run after her or I'd lose her for sure. My breathing picked up, pushing the overgrowth out of my way with an arm as I dash. I see her! The thicket has come to a clearing and she's jumping over a stack of tipped pallets in front of the first rundown shack I attacked her at! Ah, good times.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is it, another chance, I knew the only other way out of that shack was the doorway and a broken wall upstairs. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I vaulted the tipped pallet just as fast as she had, but just as soon as I did I felt my body jerk forward on its own accord, flung through the air and face first into frozen dirt. My whole spine throbbed for a second like a gong being struck and resonating with a metallic thrumming. I remember this sensation, it was like the last time I got hit in the back but God this one hurt so much more. Momentarily my legs and feet felt like pins and needles</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The humming stopped..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gathering my arms under myself after a few seconds of laying there prone, I heard the sound of splintering wood behind me as I pushed up. I didn't regard the sound as much, I probably snagged my boot on the wood and dragged it down with me. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I didn't have control of pushing myself up either, as I was violently flung to the side by my shoulder, rolling onto my back. Now I understand what Frank meant by my back looking bruised, it was swollen too, it was like I was laying on a lumpy pillow almost, but it was a very tender pillow, that was stuffed with a hot iron and razor blades. Or something like a giant mosquito bite.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fucking ouch.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There were a person standing over me, a huge one, really wide shoulders, tall, chest built like a barrel and arms as thick as tree trunks and coated in blood. A large axe heaved over their head ready to swing down and split my face like firewood. And a white rabbit mask looking down at me, obscuring the person's face and glaring into my very being at the same time. Everything innocently coated in blood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh, well that's just horrific.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wait a second..” they pause, their voice surprisingly feminine and very confused. Clearly not from around here. She had a very thick accent, sounded Baltic maybe, not the French or English I'm used to, she's not one of those kids at all, “you are not a.. sacrifice..?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah? Well you're obviously not either,” she lowers her axe slightly as I flick some sass at her, trying to push myself up. She takes note and helps me stand, “were you the one throwing shit at me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She pauses, almost looked taken aback as she searched for words. She did find them however.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not shit, only axe. I thought you were one of them.” she didn't sound confident of that sentence, perhaps anxious even? I find it hard to stand slightly, my lower body and back throbbed. So it was axes. She hit me with two fucking axes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That shit hurts, ya know.. damn,” she made it a point not to touch my back but tilts her head at me as she held one of my shoulders to keep me from swaying. Her damn hand was wider than my entire shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course it does. I tried to kill you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Point taken,” one foot in front of the other and I seemed to walk okay, I jog in place slightly. It pulsates, like there is a backpack of fluid on my back and it's squelching around uncomfortably, “okay, I think I can still run.. now you know what I look like, can I trust you not to peg me again?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She takes another axe off her belt and looks at it curiously, “how about a.. duck hunt?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Excuse me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How about a-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No I heard you, but what do you mean?” As I questioned, one of the kids runs by before seeing us and sprinting in the other direction as fast as his feet would carry him. I hadn't seen that kid before, he was much older, had a hat and nice dress shirt with a tie. Looked like a job uniform.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Chase them to me, or into the clearing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why, so you can… AXE them a question?” I cackle at my own joke, she looks at me quizzically, lowering both of the heavy tools in confusion.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You are very strange. Why would I question them?” I shake my head, taking a moment to try and explain it as she watches me blankly before dismissing the thing entirely.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I did understand as she meant though and brushed off the conversation in favor of executing her plan, and the process was rocky at first. She missed a few throws, narrowly missing me by inches. But we downed at least three more kids, I hooked one, she hooked one, I hooked another. It was brilliant, we actually made a pretty good team. I could tell she was having a good time, as were I, almost forgetting the amount of pain I was in. We watched another sacrifice be taken up into the waiting jaws of the Entity together proudly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don't usually work well with others, Dog.” now it's my turn to be taken aback.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Beg your pardon?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I said I don't usua-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Did you just call me ‘Dog’ unironically?” She looks flustered now, her posture changing as she tries to search for words to deflect the situation, but I just chuckle at her and pat her strong upper arm, “Don't sweat it, sweetheart. I understand the innuendo because duck hunt, right? It's a good joke.” she only looks more confused now, but shrugs it off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One more survivor to go, at least to my knowledge. I track this one down with ease, the blood is familiar, even though she's bandaged herself. It's that blasted lady from earlier. Finally, I was getting tired of her antics and it's been WAY longer than ten seconds. I spot her, she's trying to force some sort of hatch on the ground open.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry. I can't let you do that, dude.” She snaps her head up to look at me from over her shoulder before running off and abandoning her task. As per usual, I give chase.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I follow the particular hum, herding the woman like a sheep to slaughter. One last corner and she dashed out into the clearing, within the second I heard the sticky thump and a surprised yelp of an axe connecting with flesh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I kept up, as the axe had only clipped her, but it slowed her down considerably, so with a short hop I carried the momentum into a spring jump forward, knife high and gripped tight as I flung myself onto her, stabbing into her shoulder, the blade fully imbedded in her body up to the handle. She topples forwards and the leftover momentum spills over, we roll for a short distance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My breathing is hard as I lay there on the cold hard ground looking up at the dark cloudy sky, adrenaline making my eyeballs vibrate and my blood hot. Fuck I loved the chase..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You did good, Dog,” the axe killer came over and picked up the prone kid and offered her hand to me to help me up. I gave her a hard squint as I lay panting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You ARE calling me Dog ironically,” I could almost feel her eyes roll as I placed my much smaller hand in her wide large one, “you know, honey, as much as I love the pet name, you can call me Julie.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Anna.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aa- Na?” She shakes her head at my accent and says it a bit slower again. Trying to help me understand better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ahn- ha,” she stands a little taller as she speaks, her name is something she's proud of. I found it a bit endearing, honestly, “my N's sound more like your H's.” I nod and say the name two or three times, trying to bend my mouth to accommodate the simple letter sounds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She turns and starts walking in the direction of a hook, I watch her back for a moment, before looking down at my feet. Something felt off.. I couldn't place it, but something didn't feel right.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I kept my breathing slow, clearing my head before facing forward and starting in the direction my hunting partner went.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I didn't even make one step. These two legs of mine betrayed me as my knees buckled and I flopped forward onto the ground right back to where I started, catching myself with my hands. That radiating heat in between my shoulder blades went up into my arms and neck, stopping at my elbows and behind my ears but didn't span down my trunk..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh.. hey, Anna?” My voice shakes as I struggle to maintain calm. I was starting to sweat, “Anna?” The second came a little louder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I heard her familiar heavy footfalls stop for a second before a weighted thud and approaching thunder as she ran to my side. The woman came down onto her knees, having completely discarded the sacrifice in favor of tending to me. She's unsure of what to do with her hands as she looks me over trying to figure out what was wrong.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you hurt?” At this point, with all the worry in her voice, I just laid fully onto the cold dirt. I tucked my arms under me and kept my face down, trying to shrink myself as much as I could in embarrassment. I probably had no reason to feel shameful of my situation, but fuck I feel so weak and even a little scared. A full body shiver prickles my skin but only effected the center of my chest and up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can't feel my legs..”</p>
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